Darjeeling Sukiapokhri Tour

DAY 01- TRANSFER FROM (IXB) BAGDOGRA AIRPORT TO DARJEELING

Arrive NJP/Siliguri Railway Station or Bagdogra airport you will be met by our local representative who will assist you to board your vehicle to Darjeeling the land of breath taking beauty, amidst rolling tea gardens, known popularly as the Queen of the hills – Check-in to hotel,relax and freshen up.Evening stroll around Mall(Chowrasta).

Overnight stay at Darjeeling.

DAY 02– FULL DAY EXCURSION OF DARJEELING

Early Morning (at 04:00 am) Your Driver will be waiting for pickup in front of your Hotel. Than you will proceed for Tiger hill (8,400 ft.) to watch the spectacular sunrise over Mt. Khangchendzongha (28,208 ft. Worlds 3rd highest peak).
After first half attraction, back to hotel for breakfast, relax for a while and then continue your sightseeing for second half

Places Include:
First half Attraction:

Tiger Hill: Who doesn't know about the magnificent view of sunrise from Tiger Hill. You will need to wake up by 3:30am and take a vehicle. But the rewards are awesome. You can see the changing colours of thecolossal Kanchenjunga snow peaks as the light strikes,it's a place where you can soak yourself with Himalayan beauty. On a clear day you can also get a glimpse of Mount Everest, Mount Makalu and one of the most beautiful peaks of the world, Tibet's ChomolHari. Tiger Hill is 11kms away and at an altitude of more than 8,400ft. It takes about 40 minutes to reach the top where there is a view tower for watching sunrise. There is an entry fee.

Ghoom Monastery: You will visit one of the oldestBuddhist monasteries of Darjeeling located at a scenic location in Ghoom area. It houses a12-foot tall statue of Mayetriya Buddha which represents the Buddha of the future.This isone of the biggest and oldest statues of Buddha in Darjeeling area. This statue was created with clay that was all brought from Tibet. In front of the Buddha's statue there are two huge oil lamps that keep burning all the time and all through the year.No entry fee but donation required for taking photos inside.

Batasia Loop and the War Memorial: Batasia Loop is an engineering marvel located in Ghoom area. This is where the toy train makes a double spiral loop to negotiate a drop of 1000 ft as it moves towards Darjeeling town. Amidst the beautiful garden where the railway track is laid in form of a loop, there is also a War Memorial. You can walk along the track and complete the loop yourself. I do it every time I am there. Or take the many pathways in the garden and walk around, enjoy the many flowers and the surroundings. It was constructed in honour of the Gorkha soldiers who sacrificed their lives in service of the nation. There is a nominal entry fee. Don't miss the Samosas (fried vegetable pastries) that are sold near the entrance of Batasia Loop in the morning.

Second half Attraction:

Japanese Temple & Peace Pagoda: Close to the Darjeeling town and in a scenic setting there is a temple built in a traditional Japanese style. About 100 yards away and in the same complex, there is large Peace Pagoda that showcases four avatars of Buddha. The view of the mountain range and Darjeeling town from the top of the pagoda is spectacular. No entry fee. Caution: In order to save time, some drivers try to treat these two attractions as separate ones and count 2 instead of one. Don't be deceived or you will miss out on one of the following.

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute - Darjeeling Zoo - Natural History Museum: These are three attractions co-located in the same large compound. The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute was built to honor Tenzing Norgay's triumph to the Everest and is dedicated to provide mountaineering and rock climbing lessons to students from all over the world. There is a mountaineering museum as well. The highlights of this museum include the artifacts from various Himalayan expeditions, the Everest section showcasing Tenzing's personal belongings, an eagle found dead at 26,000 feet during 1960 Everest expedition, a high power telescope that once belonged to Hitler and was used by the Institute etc. Darjeeling Zoo has many high altitude Himalayan animals including Snow Leopard, Tibetan Wolf, Himalayan Black Bear, Red Panda, yaks etc. And the Bengal Natural History Museum is great to know about flora and fauna of Bengal including high altitude animals of Himalayan region as well as of Darjeeling district. There is a combined entry ticket to visit all three attractions in one go.

Darjeeling Ropeway: You will board the cable car from Singamari located 3km away from the town center. The 45 minutes ride takes you from an altitude of 7,000ft to 800ft with wonderful vista of a valley around Rangeetriver, tea estates and sweeping views of the snow peaks of Himalayan range including Kanchenjunga. Ticket needs to be purchased. During high season, there may be long queues. So try to book in advance.

Tea Garden: An old tea estate that exports all its produce to Harrods in London and few other countries. You can see the delicate tea processing in the factory with the help of a guide and buy tea packets from its outlet. You won't get this tea anywhere else in the country. There is no entry fee, however there is fee for the guide.

Tibetan Refugee Self Help Center: A center and a factory established by the Tibetan refugees who fled Tibet and took refuge in Darjeeling. They not only live here, but also produce varieties of exquisite handicraft items to make their livings. The hand crafted items include jackets, carpets, gloves, aprons, bags, curios, cards, pouches, carved wooden items, Tibetan paintings etc. This is a great place to buy a gift or a souvenir for your friends and relatives. There is no entry fee.

Overnight stay at hotel in Darjeeling.

DAY 03 – VISIT JORPOKHRI VILLAGE & THEN TRANSFER TO SUKHIAPOKHRI

After breakfast, visit Jorpokhri, a small lake village on a hilltop in Darjeeling. The place is located about 23 kms. away from the fascinating Darjeeling town. The name of this village derives from two-lakes. Jorpokhri offers a magnificent view of Mt. Kanchenjunga along with a number of snow-capped ranges.Jorpokhri is so charming and a great experience through deep green scenery and tea gardens. Lord Shiva temple, the temple located very near to the lake.
22 km. from Darjeeling at Sukhia Pokhri provides a heaven to those seeking a quite holidays away from the thronging masses. A rare species of lizards (Salamanders), has chosen the Jorepokhari lake as a mating place . lovely, unspoiled, quiet and with a lovely view of the Kanchenjunga. Enjoy the bonfire night.

Overnight stay at a hotel in Sukhiapokhri.

DAY 04 – EXCURSION TO MIRIK & TRANSFER TO BAGDOGRA AIRPORT

Morning after breakfast we will leave towards Pashupati Nagar (Indo-Nepal border) for shopping & Mirik Lake (Horse riding & Boat is available around the lake on direct payment basis). And then transfer to Bagdogra Airport/NJP Railway Station.

Places Include:

Simana View Point: In about 20 minutes from Sukhiapokhri, there is a wonderful view point called the Simana ViewPoint - a 60 feet by 40 feet plateau and a viewing point. Simana in Nepali means border. This is the Indo-Nepal border area, the road itself belongs to India and the viewing area falls in Nepal. But you can freely cross over to get the views. From Simana for a long way towards Mirik, the road acts as the divider between India and Nepal. You can view places like Maneybhanjan from here and the beautiful mountains on a clear day. You can also see the narrow winding road leading to Sandakphu on the other side of the valley. Towards your right you will be able to see the dazzling Kanchenjunga snow peaks.

Pashupati Market: Further down, you will reach Pashupati Market entrance at the India-Nepal border. The main market is about 1km walk from the border. You can either walk or take a Nepal taxi at the border to reach the main market (Rs. 200/- for round trip). There are few shops right across the border, which you can check out in case you do not want to go all the way to the main market. Once you complete formalities with the border security, you will get to the road in Nepal that leads to the main market. This road continues all the way to Kathmandu. Cameras are not allowed inside. Note that only Indians and Nepalese are allowed to cross over the border area here. Foreign nationals are not allowed to access this border. You are required to carry Photo ID in case you want to cross over the border and visit the shops. The market is full of imported electronic gadgets, jackets, perfumes & cosmetics, accessories and clothes.

Gopaldhara Tea Estate: Having visited Simana and Pashupati Market, as you move on further towards Mirik, you will come across lovely landscapes full of tea gardens on your left. There are several small round hillock formations with pine trees on top making it a picture perfect site. This is Gopaldhara Tea Estate. In fact you can walk down the aisle through the tea gardens and reach a viewpoint from where you get a wonderful view of the gardens all around. On the opposite side of the road is Gopaldhara Tea Stall. Halt for a while to taste a cup of tea. The tea served here is from Gopaldhara Tea Gardens. You can also buy packaged tea from the gardens from here.

Mirik Lake: A small hill town is located further 12kms from Pashupati Market and at an average altitude of 5,000ft. After reaching Mirik, first visit the Mirik Monastery on top and then the Mirik Lake. These are the top attractions of the place. Sit along the bank of the lake and relax. You can also do boating in the lake (mostly paddle boats). Or walk over the arching footbridge and cross over to the other side (western bank) of the lake, turn left and take the walkway through the pine tree forest and enjoy nature. Pony rides are also available around the lake and quite popular with children.

After sightseeing , depart for (IXB) Bagdogra Airport for the onward connection.